A yearlong investigation recently published by The Baltimore Banner and The New York Times revealed an unprecedented overdose crisis gripping Baltimore.
Nearly 6,000 people have died from overdoses in the last six years, the worst drug crisis ever seen in a major American city. Baltimore’s death rate from 2018 to 2022 was nearly double that of any large city.
The epidemic has taken a disproportionate toll on one generation of older Black men in the city. Fatal drug overdoses have occurred on one-third of the city’s blocks. Most neighborhoods have seen at least one death.
The Banner sued the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to acquire individual autopsy records. This data includes the addresses where each individual died. For the first time, The Banner is mapping these locations, though the points are not exact. We have added a small amount of randomness to each location — moving the spots slightly from their original position — to maintain the anonymity of the deceased and their families. The random movement makes it impossible to identify specific residential properties.
Cause of death data revealed just how much the synthetic opioid fentanyl has played a role. In 2014, just 20% of overdose deaths involved fentanyl. Since 2019, that number has stayed consistent around 90%.